Earlier today our friends at Crunch Gear ran with a story that, while based on a rumor, has sparked an interesting debate about the future of technology as it pertains to the intensifying crackdowns on hacking, jailbreaking, and the larger underlying issue of piracy. According to the report in question, Sony is said to be actively entertaining plans to introduce a so-called "hack-proof" PS3.

Could it be done? Probably. Will it? No clue. But it certainly would appear that hack-proof technology is poised to become a paramount aim of major mobile and gaming tech firms - like Apple. At a time when Sony is spending good money to bring down the man we know as Geohot through the legal system, it's safe to say that companies mean business - more so now than ever - when it comes to curbing piracy and software hacking/modding.

Exactly how Sony would make this new PS3 “hack-proof” is anyone’s guess. The fact is there’s no such thing on this planet as “hack-proof,” but that’s not to say Sony couldn’t implement new security measures that would take a long time to circumvent. Let’s not forget that it took nearly four years for the PS3 to be cracked. At the same time, any new “hack-proof” PS3 would naturally attract plenty of attention, so who knows how long it would remain “hack-proof”?

Between the growing anti-piracy lobby attempting to sway the support of lawmakers around the world, to newer and harder to crack software and corresponding technologies, it's evident that life will not be made easy for hackers in the future, even those who don't engage in rampant piracy. While the extent to which companies may ultimately go this year to curb hacking is anyone's guess, the efforts by Sony - no matter the outcome - are clearly poised to set the stage for much bigger anti-hacking battles down the road.

it is very misleading to say it took over four years to hack the ps3. When OtherOS was supported 99% of hackers had no desire to hack it as they could already do most of the stuff they wanted to. look at how quickly the system came crashing down as soon as they removed OtherOS.

There's no such thing as "hack-proof". Even the top-secret files of the NSA aren't "hack-proof". Anything can be hacked and any hack can be overridden. That's just a fact and basic trait of programming.

Oh, here we go again with the "everything eventually gets hacked" comments.

You only need to look at the cell phone unlocking software scene to realize that dongles are still the rule of the day to prevent piracy. Sure, there's always cracked older versions floating around - but the latest stuff is pretty well protected.

Then there's DirecTV. Hacked quite a bit in the past, but through suing "test card" vendors out of existence and constantly fighting tooth and nail against hackers, you really don't hear much about pirated DirecTV anymore.

Then we have the Xbox 360, which while there were some hacks found - Microsoft has been quick to patch them and overall the 360 is rather secure for a Microsoft product.

Hacking is a one-way street that always eventually leads to progressively improved security measures in the products being hacked. Eventually you reach a point where hacking the product requires so much time and effort that few people will bother attempting it. And as Sony has shown, if you sue those few people, you'll have a pretty good deterrent against future hackers.

What's the ultimate hack to show Sony how you feel about the PS3? Don't buy one. There's nothing they can do to stop that.

Oh, here we go again with the "everything eventually gets hacked" comments.

You only need to look at the cell phone unlocking software scene to realize that dongles are still the rule of the day to prevent piracy. Sure, there's always cracked older versions floating around - but the latest stuff is pretty well protected.

Then there's DirecTV. Hacked quite a bit in the past, but through suing "test card" vendors out of existence and constantly fighting tooth and nail against hackers, you really don't hear much about pirated DirecTV anymore.

Then we have the Xbox 360, which while there were some hacks found - Microsoft has been quick to patch them and overall the 360 is rather secure for a Microsoft product.

Hacking is a one-way street that always eventually leads to progressively improved security measures in the products being hacked. Eventually you reach a point where hacking the product requires so much time and effort that few people will bother attempting it. And as Sony has shown, if you sue those few people, you'll have a pretty good deterrent against future hackers.

I'm sorry but this is incorrect. No matter what any company does as far as "hack proofing" any product and as long as a consumer has physical access to the machine, it will be hackable. This is one of the first things you learn in computer security.

Most smart phones are hackable. From Windows 7 phones, Google Phones, Blackberries, and even Symbian phones. If there is root access and you can install an application, it is hackable.

I can't speak much for DirectTV as I have never used them as a company, but the Xbox360 has been hacked and rehacked many times over. Yes, Microsoft issues a band wave throughout the year, but that does not stop the community from modding the device. Currently, every Xbox360 on the market to this day is moddable. Both the Wii and the PS3 are all under the same category. Point is, if people want to mod and play backed up/"Pirated" games, they will find a way.

Sony suing GeoHotz will not stop the community from modding. Just as 1 torrent site goes down, 10 more pop up. As 1 warez forum goes down, 1000 more pop up. If Sony is successful in shutting down GeoHotz, you can be sure that there will be 100 more "hackerz" to take his place.

The only way for companies like Apple, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo, and every other vendor on the planet to stop piracy is to.. wait, there is nothing they can do. Can they make it harder? Yes. but in the grand scheme of things, it's a downhill battle that leads to nowhere. Like I said, as long as a physical product is tied, modders will always release a software hack will or the true and tested modchip to circumvent DRM.

PS. If companies really want to stop piracy, they need to keep up with support and stop selling crappy products. I have pirated MyWi for a full good year before actually purchasing the application from the cydia store. All it took was for them to keep updating the product with improvements. I even bought the addon to pair with my iPad even though I know I will probably never use it. One thing I hate about developers are those who release a product, and update the program once or twice, then no updates ever because support was dropped and instead moved onto a new IP.

Sony will waste so much time and money on this and have less to spend making the ps a better system.

I agree with u, and i too hate Sony as a result of all of this crap they are bringing to the jailbreaking/hacking community, and their actions in general.

But I have to disagree about Sony wasting money. Sony HAS SOOOO much money. Sony waging this war against freedom of speech is not going to at all cut the amount of money being spent on the development of the next playstation. The money they spend on this battle will be like a penny to them!

It's up to us to actually make them really pay for their actions! What will really hurt their pockets is a complete pop culture movement, or political movement against them....unfortunately, its hard to imagine that happening....but I hope it does!!